Couldn’t resist going back for a third day of photographing snowy owls. There are a few in this immediate area, mostly females. The one that I had been spending the most time with the last couple of days (see previous post) was not very active this morning. I searched out another female nearby and found her hiding at the top of an apple tree in a farmer’s field. The surrounding branches frame her quite nicely.

For the last couple of mornings I’ve been out photographing wild snowy owls with one of my best friends (award-winning photojournalist Mark Wanzel, who I joined for a cross-America road trip in 2013. See here: ROAD TRIP PHOTO TOUR). We had great success with these beautiful owls despite temperatures hovering around minus 17 degrees. It does cause some mechanical issues with the camera gear, but we accomplished what we set out to capture. Here are a few of my favourite images.

Rowing to BC. Progress map. I lost last week due to sickness but I’m back on track this weekend having reached personal daily highs for mileage. More than halfway to Sudbury! 179 km so far since I started on December 7th. If I didn’t get sick I would be about 45 km farther ahead right now. Oh well.

Rowing to British Columbia. This is my ongoing progress map (from when I began on Dec 7th to Jan 11th). My first milestone was Parry Sound at 140 km. I made it tonight! The next milestone is Sudbury. It should take me approximately 2 to 2.5 weeks I’m thinking, if I’m able to stay to my rowing schedule of 210 minutes per week (3 days during the week at 30 minutes each and 60 minutes on both Saturday and Sundays).

January 11th, 2014: After a hard two days of rowing and 21.5 kilometres, I finally made it to Parry Sound, which was my 1st major milestone. Spending the night and taking tomorrow off to refill my supplies. Back on the road Tuesday.

My total up to today is 118 km. I am still on Highway 400 and I’m not too far from Parry Sound now. Food became a problem yesterday and today. I had hoped to make it to Parry Sound to replenish my supplies, but alas, I did not make it. Thankfully I thought ahead for just such a situation. With so many lakes and rivers in the Muskoka region I should get by for now with an ice fishing rig. Although a sweater may have been a good idea as well. Oh well.

My rowing progress from Dec 7th to Dec 30th. By this time tomorrow I will have reached my first 100 km. With every session I’m getting stronger and I’m now putting some great mileage behind me each day. Loving this! Leaving fat behind me in my wake and picking up muscle along the way. A very noticeable change already and I haven’t even been a full month on the road yet! Looks like I’ll have to think of a different New Year’s resolution now. Next stop: Parry Sound.

Rowing to BC. Photos from the road. Day #2: Got a bit of snow today. Traffic was snarled by accidents. Thought I would weave my way through trouble and keep moving. Don’t want to attract the attention of the OPP when I’m on the freeway. Fingers crossed.

Later on Day #2: Busted! The OPP saw me on Highway 400 just north of Barrie. Got all the way past Duckworth Street, too. Oh well. I can handle this with a little Canadian bribe. (Worked like a charm)

I turned 44 in early December, 2014, and I needed to make a change. In the past several years I have had no exercise. Zero. I sit at work in front of a computer and when I get home I sit in front of computer doing my own work. This was going to kill me. I decided to buy a rowing machine because I love canoeing and also rowing when I was a kid. Seemed like a good fit. To keep myself dedicated to a mission I came up with the idea to log my mileage across Canada from Barrie, Ontario (where I live) to the Pacific Ocean in British Columbia. That should keep me focused. I began on December 7th. I started slow and easy so as not to shock my body too much. It began with just 5 minutes on the machine. And what a well made machine. I’m using a “Concept 2″. It’s fantastic and simulates rowing in water perfectly (LINK: http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/model-d ). Each day I felt better and stronger. I’m now up to 30 minutes per session and doing it 5 days per week. I’m clocking 30 km per week now. There is also resistance set into it, so it’s like I’m also rowing across the country uphill.

So far (from Dec 7th to Jan 4th) I have gone 112 km. My weight has dropped from 198 lbs to 191 lbs. I have lost more fat than that, but it’s hard to tell how much as I have also gained some pretty good muscle as well. And it’s growing every day. What a great side effect.

To make it interesting for me (and for friends and family) I will be plotting my mileage on a map to document my trip across the country. I will also add photos from the road on a regular basis.

I’m back online after many years! This site reflects the style of my upcoming book “3 Songs No Flash: Canadian Music on the Road”. I will be using it to promote the release of the full version of the book (plus the sample version, which is for sale right now, if you would like one. 25 bucks. Cheap! And a very limited run of 150 copies). contact me at kevinonline@rogers.com). you can visit the page for the book here:http://3songsnoflash.ca/3-songs-book/

It’s also a home for my revamped blog, which will be a home for concert info, album reviews and goings on. You can find that here:http://3songsnoflash.ca/blog/

The image gallery on the site has a bunch of bands and singers already, but I will be adding 250 or more from my archives to fill it out nicely in the coming weeks. I will be updating it continuously and will also be adding new bands as I shoot them, so stay tuned! Link to the gallery:http://3songsnoflash.ca/galleries-2/

Prints are available for purchase upon request, so if you would like one please contact me: kevinonline@rogers.com

If you are a musician or publicist, I am available for photo shoots. My rates are reasonable. Feel free to reach out. I have shot for many and have supplied existing images for artists such as Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Joel Plaskett, David Wilcox, Don Kerr, Ronnie Hawkins, Corin Raymond, Sean Kelly, D.O.A., Hollerado, Bidiniband, and more.